glycerol

IPA/ˈɡlɪsərɒl/
KK[ɡlˈɪsɚˌol]IPA/ˈɡlɪsərɔːl/

glycerol — noun

1. A clear, thick, sweet-tasting liquid produced from animal or vegetable fats, use

1.nounB2
Definition

A clear, thick, sweet-tasting liquid produced from animal or vegetable fats, used in skin products, medicines, and as a sweetener in food.

Example

Padma added glycerol to the lotion to make it feel less sticky on her skin.

active: add + [substance] + to + [mixture]

This cough syrup uses glycerol as a sweetener instead of sugar for a smoother taste.

use + [product] + as + [purpose]

Common collocations
  • add glycerol to
  • contain glycerol
  • produce glycerol
  • glycerol is used in
  • glycerol as a sweetener
  • source of glycerol
  • byproduct of glycerol
Synonyms
  • glycerine

    The more common everyday name outside of chemistry contexts; both spellings refer to the same substance.

  • glycerin

    American English spelling variant of glycerine; used interchangeably.

Grammar Patterns

uncountable — no plural form

Usage Note

Glycerol is an uncountable noun and is not used with 'a' or 'an', nor in plural form.

Common Mistakes

The lab ordered several glycerols for the experiment.
The lab ordered several bottles of glycerol for the experiment.
Glycerol is uncountable; use a container or unit to quantify it.
Glycerol and glycol are the same chemical.
Glycerol and glycol are different chemicals with different properties.
Glycerol is safe for skin and food; ethylene glycol is toxic.

Word family

  • glycerin
    nounB2
  • glycerine
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Glycerol, glycerine, and glycerin all refer to the same chemical compound (C₃H₈O₃), but differ in which context they appear. 'Glycerol' is the systematic chemical name preferred in scientific writing and on ingredient labels. 'Glycerine' (British) and 'glycerin' (American) are the common names found in everyday products such as soap and skin cream — a consumer is more likely to see 'glycerin' on a lotion bottle than 'glycerol'. By contrast, 'glycol' (typically ethylene glycol) is a different compound — it is a toxic liquid used as antifreeze and must not be confused with glycerol. When shopping for skin-care ingredients, look for 'glycerin'; in a chemistry lab report, use 'glycerol'; never substitute glycerol with glycol.

glycerineglyceringlycol

Common collocations

Nouns

  • glycerol content
  • glycerol molecule
  • glycerol production

Phrases

  • a source of glycerol
  • a byproduct of glycerol
  • mixture of glycerol and water

Prepositions

  • of glycerol
  • in glycerol

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

The name comes from 'glycerine', which French chemist Michel-Eugène Chevreul took from Greek 'glykeros' meaning 'sweet', combined with the chemical suffix '-ol' (short for 'alcohol'). The '-ol' ending was added in the 19th century to show that it belongs to the alcohol family of chemicals.

First known use

1880

1880, in the meaning defined above